US2719402A - Case for watch - Google Patents

Description

K. O. SCHMIDT Oct. 4, 1955 CASE FOR WATCH Filed Nov. 9, 1953 INVENTOR. 4 074 firm Ya/{Mp2 waif W HT 1' 051m.

United States Patent OT CASE FOR WATCH Karl Otto Schmidt, Idar-Oberstein, Germany Application November 9, 1953, Serial No. 407,215 Claims priority, application Germany December 8, 1952 7 Claims. (Cl. 58--88) The present invention relates to extensible cases for watches.

My prior Patent No. 2,640,668, dated June 2, 1953, discloses a sliding case particularly designed for travel alarm clocks or clocks or watches of larger design.

It is, therefore, one object of this invention to provide an extensible case for watches of small size down to the dimensions of a wrist-watch.

It is another object of this invention to provide an inexpensive construction of the guide-ways for the extensible cases.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an extensible watch case made in accordance with this invention, showing it in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof;

Fig. 3 is another front elevational view, showing it in open position;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank, out of which the watch-supporting frame is made; I

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the watch-supporting frame with a pair of guiding members and a bowed spring mounted thereon;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a guiding member on a larger scale;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a guide track; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a casing-half with guide track and border, partly in section.

The watch-movement 11 provided for this case is served by a knob 12 on its narrow flank, access to the back of the watch is therefore not necessary. The construction of the watch case bases on this fact.

The extensible case 13 comprises three principal component parts: two identical, slidable casing- halves 14 and 15 and a watch-supporting frame 16.

A casing-half 15 comprises (Fig. 2 and Fig. 8) two identical shells 17 and 18, a border 19 and a guide track 20. Shells 17 and 18 are formed by stamping operations and soldered or welded together. Border 19 is soldered or otherwise fastened to the open end of the casing-half and has an opening 21 the purpose of which will shortly become apparent. Guide track 20 (Fig. 7) constituting two parallel plates 22 and 23 and a connecting strip 24 is bent from a single sheet blank. Plates 22 and 23 extend at right angles from strip 24 and are provided with longitudinal slots 25 and 26 the purpose of which will also shortly be apparent. The contour of plates 22 and 23 is adapted to the cross-section of a casing-half at the level of the plates. Guide track 20 is not fastened to the casing-half but loosely put in and held in position by border 19. Opening 21 of said border is small enough to hold back guide track 20 but large enough to allow passing through of watch-supporting frame and watchmovement.

2,719,402 Patented Oct. 4, 1 955 The watch-supporting frame 16 (shown in Fig. 5) comprises the following component parts: the frame proper 27, four guiding-members 28 and a pair of bowed springs 29. The frame proper is made from a blank 30 (shown in Fig. 4). By bending blank 30 along interrupted line 31 a bottom wall 32 is formed at right angles to the back wall 45 of the frame proper 27. Slots 33 are provided at the opposite ends of said bottom Wall. A pair of end walls 34 is formed by bending at right angles to the back wall along interrupted lines 35. Grooves 36 are formed in said end walls for engagement with suitable ridges at opposite narrow flanks of the watch-movement. At interrupted lines 37 the end portions of each end wall are bent outwardly at right angles to the end walls. Slots 38 are formed in said end portions in registration with the slots 33 of the bottom Wall 32. Lugs 39 are struck out of the bottom edges of the side wall, said lugs are bent over upon end walls 34 and may be soldered or welded to said end walls to hold the end walls and the bottom wall in proper relationship.

Guiding members 28 shown in Fig. 6 made of sheet metal by stamping operations or formed of plastic material have guide lugs 40 and notches 41. Said guiding members are mounted on the inside of the end portions of the bottom wall 32 and the end walls 34. It will be noted that the guide lugs 40 project through slots 33 and 38 respectively of said end portions and extend into slots 25 and 26 of the guide tracks when the casing- halves 14 and 15 are mounted on the watch-supporting frame. The relationship between guide lugs 40 and slots 25 and 26 serves to guide and limit the movement of the casing halves relative to the watch-supporting frame and relative to each other. Bowed springs 29 are braced between opposing guiding members 28. A pair of reduced portions 42 at eachend of said bowed spring project into notches 41 of the guiding members 28 to secure the bowed springs in their position. Bowed springs 29 not only hold the guiding members 28 in their position but also slightly bow outwardly the end portions of both the bottom and the end walls and thus guarantee a tight contact between said end portions and the guiding tracks.

To mount the casing-halves on the watch-supporting frame said end portions are pressed together against the bowed springs so that guide lugs 40 can enter slots 25 and 26.

Arrow 43 of Fig. 5 shows the edgewise direction in which the watch-movement is inserted into the watchsupporting frame 16 guided by grooves 36 of the end walls 34 and ridges of the watch-movement. Lugs 44 struck out from said end walls resiliently hold the watchrnovement in position. The watch-movement provided for the case is enclosed by crystal and outer casing which can be open in the back.

I claim:

1. An extensible case for watches of small size comprising two casing-halves each provided on their inside with two opposing guide tracks, a watch-supporting frame fitted slidably between said guide tracks, said frame comprising a single sheet blank constituting a back wall, a bottom wall and a pair of end Walls to receive a watch movement between them, each extending integrally at right angles from said back Wall, said bottom wall having end portions which extend beyond said end walls, each of the end portions having a slot therethrough, said end walls each having an end portion rectangularly bent outwards and in contour similar to the end portions of said bottom wall and also having a slot therethrough, guiding members extending through said slots of the end portions of said bottom wall and of said end walls and projecting into said guide tracks, and bowed springs extending between said guiding members to maintain the latter in their respective slots and guide tracks.

2. An extensible case for watches of small size in accordance with claim 1, further characterized by having a pair of guide tracks in each casing-half and a border on the open end of each casing-half, each pair of said guide tracks constituting two parallel plates and a connecting strip, said plates extending at right angles from said strip being provided with a longitudinal slot for the guide lugs and adapted in their contour to the crosssection of the casing-half but loosely enclosed by the latter, said border being provided with notches to allow the passing of the watch-supporting frame but holding said guide tracks in position in the casing-half.

3. An extensible case for watches of small size comprising two casing-halves each provided on their inside with two opposing guide tracks, a watch-supporting frame fitted slidably between said guide tracks, said frame comprising a pair of end walls to receive a watch movement between them, connecting means for said end walls, in order to maintain the latter spaced apart at a distance complementary to the width of said watch movement, said end walls combined with said connecting means defining a chamber open at least on one edge in order to permit of sliding of the watch movement edgewise between said end walls into said chamber, said frame having upper and lower end portions which extend substantially parallel to said guide tracks and beyond said end walls, each of said end portions having a slot therethrough, guiding members extending through said slots of the end portions and projecting into said guide tracks, and bowed springs extending between said guiding members to maintain the latter in their respective slots and guide tracks.

4. An extensible case for watches of small size com prising two casing-halves each provided on their inside with two opposing guide tracks, a watch-supporting frame fitted slidably between said guide tracks, said frame comprising a pair of end walls to receive a watch movement between them, at least one additional wall connecting said end walls in order to maintain the latter spaced apart at a distance complementary to the width of said watch movement, said end walls combined with said additional wall defining a chamber open at least on one edge in order to permit of sliding of said watch movement edgewise between said end walls into said chamber, said frame having upper and lower end portions which extend substantially parallel to said guide tracks and beyond said end walls, each of said end portions having a slot therethrough, guiding members extending through said slots of the end portions and projecting into said guide tracks, and bowed springs extending between said guiding members to maintain the latter in their respective slots and guide tracks.

5. An extensible case for watches of small size comprising two casing-halves each provided on their inside with two opposing guide tracks, a watch-supporting frame fitted slidably between said guide tracks, said frame comprisinga pair of end walls to receive the watch movement between them, at least one additional wall connecting said end walls, said additional wall having end portions which extend beyond said end walls, each of the end portions having a slot therethrough, said end walls each having an end portion rectangularly bent outwards and in contour similar to the end portions of said additional wall and also having a slot therethrough, guiding members extending through said slots of the end portions of said'additional wall and of said end walls and projecting into said guide tracks, and bowed springs extending between said guiding members to maintain the latter in their respective slots and guide tracks.

6. The case for watches, as set forth in claim 1, which includes a groove in each of said end walls to receive corresponding ridges of said watch movement.

7. The case for watches, as set forth in claim 1, which includes resilient lugs struck out from each of the end walls to tensionally hold said watch movement in position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,640,668 Schmidt June 2, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 679,854 France Jan. 14, 1930 181,002 Switzerland Feb. 17, 1936 260,909 Switzerland Aug. 1, 1949 856,876 Germany Nov. 24, 1952

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